Hades - Prologue

The hall of justice. I always knew I’d end up here one day. Maybe as part of the jury or a witness, or if I was really unlucky, a victim. But I never for a second thought I would be the defendant, fighting for my right to be free.

Lisa stayed right by my side. Everyone else had abandoned me over the years, but Lisa had been a true friend. Two years and still she was here. I owed her everything. It couldn’t be easy standing up for an accused murderer.

Two years ago my entire family was murdered. My brother, my sister and my parents. I was out, having gone for a walk when it happened. The police couldn’t find any evidence that pointed to anyone outside the family, so I was targeted. The bloody knife with my finger prints, the jacket I had been wearing the night it happened, and a weak alibi.

It was a dream open-shut case, for the police anyway. For me it was the first page of The Murderer 101 Handbook. Wear gloves, someone else’s clothes and leave that someone else to be caught. Why would I want to kill my family who gave me everything I ever needed and wanted? It was little more than a police cop out.

At the doors to the hall, my lawyer was waiting. I would have been lost without Thomas. My case looked like an open and shut one, no one wanted to defend someone who was going to lose. But Thomas liked a challenge. He approached me himself and offered his assistance. He kept me free for three years, using every trick in the book. I owed him even more than Lisa.

His face was solemn, he didn’t have much hope for me today. Today was the day of the verdict, and we were all certain I would be sentenced to life. That’s just how it was. Even a minor crime could incur years locked away. I looked up, a final look at the sun, and regretted it instantly. I spotted the tiny black dot, the giant space station that would soon be my home. Hades.